Sami Callihan has taken the first step in joining a violent cult. He shaved his head to strip himself of his identity.
The haircut didn’t look so smooth, but it’s the effort that counts.
The story revolves around Callihan’s feud with Violent by Design, now known as The Design. Callihan was tired of beatdowns, so he requested to join the group. Deaner demanded that Callihan shave every hair off his head as an act of good faith. That scene went down on Thursday night’s episode of Impact Wrestling.
Deaner, flanked by Angels and Kon, called Callihan to the ring. He explained that there is a process to join The Design. The first step is to shave Callihan’s hair. Lights out, lights on. Callihan was in the ring with a baseball bat. After urging from Deaner, Callihan handed over the bat to Kon. Angels set up a makeshift barbershop as Deaner spoke about the story of Samson. Callihan understood the message of tearing themselves down to become stronger. Deaner issued one more warning. The entire process will be long, difficult, and violent. If Callihan is not willing to see it to the end, then there is no need to even start the process. Callihan was all in, so Angels scissored his hair.
This is the death of the Death Machine and the birth of Callihan - The Design SHAVE @TheSamiCallihan's head. #IMPACTonAXSTV @CodyDeaner @Big_Kon1 @Alan_V_Angels pic.twitter.com/v5cDRewOcO
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) January 13, 2023
Callihan teased tension throughout. Deaner grabbed clippers to get the job done quicker. This was a TV segment after all. Callihan stopped him to shave his hair himself. Callihan buzzed, and Deaner grinned.
Deaner handed over a mirror for Callihan to look at what he has become. Callihan snapped but regained composure not to attack. Deaner dubbed the moment as the death of the Death Machine and the birth of Callihan.
It’s all part of the…
— Death Machine (@TheSamiCallihan) January 13, 2023
D E S I G N.#IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/98TUwtCZkN
In theory, this was a pretty interesting chapter in The Design story. It is going to look great as material to fill out a recap highlight package in the future. The actual execution as a long promo scene in the ring was a little on the boring side. Future steps in the process might be better served as cinematic vignettes for a tighter control on pace. Callihan tried to sell uncertainty as an emotional tease if he would follow through with the process, but that acting fell flat for me. Deaner ended strong with the closing line about the death of the Death Machine. That was a pretty cool soundbite.
Were you feeling the emotion of the death of the Death Machine and the birth of Callihan?
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